what's the difference between the alto sax & the tenor sax?

Answer 1

The range - the Alto is higher ranged. And the tenor is lower ranged. In physical appearance the alto is a smaller instrument, the tenor is much larger. The tenor has a crook in the neck (that is - it turns up before it turns down), the neck on the alto simply turns down.

Still higher than the alto sax is the soprano sax - it is a straight instrument with no bends in the neck held and played in a manner similar to a clarinet.

Still lower than the tenor sax is the baritone sax - a very large instrument with multiple bends in theneck and body to make its great length physically manageable.

(Also - if this matters to you - the alto is an E-b instrument, the tenor is a B-b instrument).

Answer 2

The primary difference is as a few others said, the key the instrument is set to. Instruments such as guitars and pianos are tuned to the key of C (concert pitch) while the alto is an e-flat instrument and the tenor (like clarinets and trumpets) are in b-flat. What is not correct is that they play different notes or ranges. While reading music, both instruments play the exact same notes (B-flat below middle C at lowest and F above the staff-for most of them as the highest). Because of the size of the instrument, they SOUND different notes. Just like a clarinet plays the same note in the same key as the tenor sax, the tenor sax SOUNDS one octave lower than the clarinet. The tenor is a larger instrument than the alto. The best way to tell them apart from a distance is by looking at the neck (the stretch of metal that leads away from the mouthpiece before connecting to long, straight body of the horn). For alto saxophones, the neck stretches straight out, then curves down to the body. The tenor neck has a "goose neck" where it curves up, and then down to the body. There are some rarer saxophones that are keyed between the alto and tenor called the C-Melody or conta-alto saxophone that usually have a "goose" neck, and are just slightly larger than an alto, but play in the key of C just like flutes, pianos, etc. If you would like to see these saxophones next to each other, and a lot of other saxophones, I put a link below of a great saxophone player and professor who has what might be one of the largest and most complete collections of saxophones, and other woodwind instruments, in the world.

Answer 3

the alto saxaphone is piched in the key of e-flat, and has a higher range than the tenor, which is in the key of b-flat. in band literature, the alto sax part often mirrors the french horn part, while the tenor most often mirrors the bass line. this is because the saxaphone is a new instrument, invented in the 20th century, so it was kind of shoved into old literature where it could fit, and the placement stuck.

Answer 4

I play tenor but I've never played alto. Tenors are bigger, they're lower, I think they tend to play in different keys form altos.

Answer 5

the range of notes one can hit over the other.. tenor can go lower I would assume

Answer 6

ALTO IS A LOWER FORM OF SOPRANO, AND A TENNER IS A SWEET SOUND LIKE JUST IN THE MIDDLE.

Answer 7

besides looks, alto is pitched higher

Answer 8

sorry, couldn't tell you